


Accident Prone

by EllenArcher



Category: Best Friends Whenever (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 15:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14381745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllenArcher/pseuds/EllenArcher
Summary: Naldo defends Barry. They fall in love.I wrote this in December of 2015 on my tumblr, and am posting it here now. I miss this show and this ship so much!





	1. Chapter 1

Barry added more sodium to the substance he was concocting in his lab. He couldn’t seem to get the consistency right. He opened his notebook to keep track of his progress, and as he did so, he heard the Winnebago door creak open behind him. “Hello, Renaldo,” he greeted his friend without looking up. The school day had been over for almost an hour now, and Barry was actually surprised that it had taken Naldo so long to come over. Usually he and Barry just walked home together, but Naldo told Barry he had to stay after school to talk to one of his teachers, so Barry walked home alone. Sure, he missed Naldo’s eccentric chatter, but it gave him some time to hypothesize about the many experiments he had in mind.

“Hi, Barry!” Naldo chirped, dropping his backpack on the seat of the booth, next to the alien. He took a seat next to his bag, rather than joining Barry over by the counter. Oh well. Naldo seemed fine; he probably was just tired and didn’t feel up to one of their science experiments. Then again, Barry never really knew if people seemed fine or if he just couldn’t read social cues.

“You okay, buddy?” Barry asked, just to be safe. Although he knew Naldo was always okay. He was the most positive person Barry knew. He definitely kept Barry from being down in the dumps pretty often. Without Naldo, Barry probably would have given up on a thousand things by now. But instead he kept on trying, because Naldo believed in him.

“Yeah, of course! I just wish I hadn’t been late getting here,” Naldo replied, standing up and heading over to Barry. His gaze was directed slightly toward the floor, and his hat was lower on his head than Barry remembered it usually being, but Barry figured he shouldn’t push the subject any further. Maybe this was just another Naldo quirk. Or maybe it was just something everyone did from time to time and Barry hadn’t noticed. He really wasn’t very good at noticing human behavior. And on the rare occasions he did notice, it was almost always Naldo’s behavior he was noticing. Well to be fair, the two boys did spend most of their time together. Barry didn’t really ever have a chance to notice anyone else’s behavior. It was just Barry, Naldo, and the life size alien always inhabiting the Winnebago with them.

“Don’t worry about it,” Barry assured his friend, turning to face Naldo more directly. “Did you get to talk to that teacher you wanted to meet with?”

“Yeah, I did,” Naldo answered, still looking downward. He picked up a vial of something and started shaking it. “So, what are we doing today?”

Barry considered whether he should ask for more information, and decided that as a scientist, it was pertinent that he know everything he could. He had to ask. “Renaldo, what happened after school? Are you having trouble in a class or something?” If Naldo was struggling with schoolwork, Barry could understand his hesitancy to talk about it. It was important to excel in school, after all. But Naldo didn’t need to hide his struggles from Barry! Barry could help him improve his grades! Naldo knew that! So why would he want to keep something like this from Barry?

“Barry, no. Everything’s fine. Nothing happened after school. I just talked to a teacher about a test grade and he fixed his mistake and changed my grade. I’m doing fine,” Naldo insisted, shaking the vial more vigorously. Suddenly it exploded and foam flew everywhere, covering the floor of the RV. “Sorry, that was an accident!” Naldo exclaimed, grabbing a cloth from the counter to clean up the mess. As he leaned down to the floor to wipe the foam away, his hat tilted off of his head. Barry thought he saw a red mark on Naldo’s face, and knelt down to reach for his friend.

Barry pushed aside Naldo’s hair to get a better look, and sure enough, Naldo’s eyebrow was bleeding. And now that Barry was closer to his friend, he could see the purple surrounding Naldo’s eye. Barry gasped and pulled his hand away. “Renaldo, what happened?”

Naldo grabbed his hat and stood up, heading toward the door. “Nothing, Barry. I fell. You know me, I’m clumsy.” He placed his hat back on his head and stepped down the stairs, opening the door to the RV.

Barry grabbed Naldo’s arm and pulled the door shut. “No, you’re not going anywhere until you tell me what happened. Are you okay? Who did this to you?”

Naldo sighed and allowed Barry to drag him over to the booth. Barry wet a washcloth and sat himself next to Naldo, gently dabbing the boy’s face with the damp cloth.

“I’m fine, I promise,” Naldo reassured him. “It doesn’t even hurt. I just didn’t want you to know that I got beat up.”

“Why not? You don’t have to be embarrassed. It’s not like I’ll think any less of you. I know you’re an awesome guy, even if someone else doesn’t think so.” Barry smiled softly, but then thought for a minute and frowned. “Wait a minute. Everyone at school likes you. Who would beat you up?”

Naldo looked uncomfortable at this question, and tried to squeeze past Barry to exit the vehicle. But Barry held his stance and wouldn’t let Naldo by. “Naldo, why did you get beat up?” Barry pressed.

Naldo sighed again. “Because I was sticking up for you,” he finally answered, slumping back into the booth in defeat.

Barry’s face fell. “Someone did this to you…because of me?” he managed, dropping the washcloth to the table. He felt like his heart just fell out of his body. He was responsible for this? Naldo was black and blue and bruised because of him? Barry had never felt so lousy. He never wanted to be a reason that Naldo got hurt.

“It’s not because of you, Barry,” Naldo tried to assure his friend, putting his arm around him. “It’s just that some kids were saying mean things about you, and I couldn’t take it. I told them to stop, and they made fun of me for defending you, and then I told them they needed to cool it because you’re a great guy. And they said I was making myself look bad, sticking up for a nerd like that. So I said they were making themselves look like idiots for saying bad things about someone as awesome as you, and then they got angry at being called idiots, and well…this happened,” Naldo finished, motioning to his eye.

“I’m so sorry, Renaldo,” Barry said, putting his arms around Naldo and squeezing him tight. “You didn’t have to say all those nice things about me. But I’m really touched that you did.” He smiled at his friend, who hugged him back.

“Of course I did. I’m not gonna let anyone say anything bad about you,” Naldo rubbed Barry’s back quickly and then pulled away from the hug. “The black eye was worth it.”

“It doesn’t even look that bad,” Barry lied, trying to make Naldo feel better. It was the least he could do. Barry couldn’t believe he was so lucky to have a friend as great as Naldo. He didn’t know where he would be without him. Probably nowhere good. “Hey, Renaldo?”

“Yeah?” Naldo brushed his hair in front of his eye to cover the bruising.

“I’m really thankful that I have you,” Barry said, helping Naldo to adjust his hair. Their fingers brushed as they both pushed Naldo’s bangs across his forehead, and Barry pulled back a bit, but then decided against it. He grabbed Naldo’s fingers with his own and pulled them away from his face. He readjusted their hands so that he was holding Naldo’s whole hand with his own. He squeezed Naldo’s hand quickly and then let go. Just a quick thank you between friends.

“You’ll always have me,” Naldo assured Barry. There was a beat of silence, and Barry just stared at Renaldo, thinking about how wonderful his friend was. Naldo stared back for a second, and then cleared his throat. “Well, uh, we gonna do this experiment or what?”

“Experiment?” Barry asked, his head foggy. He had forgotten everything that came before Naldo assuring Barry he would have him forever.

“Yeah, the thing with the sodium?” Naldo reminded him, lightly pushing Barry out of the booth so they could both stand up.

“Right, of course. Yes, let’s get to it,” Barry agreed, heading back over to the counter. He picked up a test tube from the rack with one hand, and placed the other on the counter next to Naldo’s. And if his hand inched a little bit closer to Naldo’s as the minutes bore on, well then that was just an accident.


	2. Chapter 2

Naldo closed his locker and slung his backpack over his shoulder. It was the next day at school, and the bell was about to ring for first period. Before Naldo could make his way to his class, Barry ran up to him excitedly.

“Renaldo, I have great news!” Barry exclaimed, coming to a stop seconds before he would have collided with Naldo.

“They’re making a sequel to Crabnormal Behavior?!” Naldo asked excitedly. Man, he loved that movie! And anything Vance Carroway did, obviously.

“No,” Barry returned bluntly. “It’s something even better, if you can imagine it!” Here he gave a slight eye roll. He loved Naldo, but his taste in movies was still questionable. “You know those novelty t shirts you design? The ones with the fake state names?”

“Of course,” Naldo replied. “Stencilvania is for tracing.”

“Yes, and New Pork is for eating the other white meat,” Barry smiled back. “Well, it turns out there’s a market for them! We can sell them and make money to update the lab!”

Naldo frowned. “I don’t want to sell them, Barry. They weren’t supposed to be for profit. They were supposed to be something fun, between you and me.”

Barry sighed. “Renaldo, please. The shirts can still be something for us, but isn’t it the right thing to do to share our fun thing with the world? You’re always talking about doing the right thing.”

“Well in this case, the right thing is not selling the shirts, because I’m asking you not to,” Naldo said somberly, and then walked away without waiting for an answer from Barry.

Barry just stood there in thought for a moment. He hated that he had upset Naldo, but he really didn’t get what the big deal was. Why did he and Naldo have to keep the shirts between them? Were they really such a special thing to Naldo, that he didn’t want to share them with anyone else?

That struck a chord with Barry. If Naldo was so unwilling to share his shirts with anyone, yet he shared them with Barry, that must mean that Barry was pretty special to him. This thought made Barry smile, and suddenly he wasn’t so upset about losing out on a chance to make money.

Meanwhile, Naldo was sitting in math class, wishing he hadn’t been so harsh with Barry. Naldo knew that Barry wasn’t always great with understanding emotions and human connections, so he probably didn’t understand why it was important that Naldo wanted to share his hobby with him. Naldo figured he ought to explain. He pulled out his phone to text Barry, but noticed he already had a text waiting on his phone screen. It was from Barry, and it read Renaldo, I’m sorry I tried to push you into selling your shirts. I get that they’re just a hobby for you, and you never wanted to share them with the world. But it means a lot to me that you would share them with me. Thank you.

Naldo smiled. Maybe Barry was getting better at picking up on social cues. Could it be that Naldo was rubbing off on him? Naldo didn’t have much time to dwell on this thought, because suddenly he noticed the teacher, Miss Gannon, leaning over his desk. “No phones in class, Naldo. Sorry, but I’m going to have to give you a detention slip.” She handed him a pink piece of paper, and Naldo dejectedly took it.

At the same time, Barry was being handed a pink slip for being late for his music class. He didn’t realize he had dawdled in the hall for so long. Darn it. He had never had detention before. And he really didn’t want to stay later after school. He had work to do in his lab.

Barry was less upset when he arrived in his next class and saw that Renaldo had also gotten a pink slip. At least they would be in detention together.

“Sorry, Renaldo,” Barry whispered as the teacher gave them instructions on how to complete their work. “You wouldn’t have detention if I hadn’t texted you.”

Naldo shook his head. “No, I got my phone out before I even knew you had texted me. I wanted to apologize for getting so mad at you. I overreacted.”

“You didn’t,” Barry assured him, patting his shoulder. “We can find another way to make money for the lab. A way that doesn’t involve selling something that you design just for fun. I didn’t mean to turn your hobby into something corporate.”

“I know,” Naldo replied, smiling at his friend. “I’m not mad at you. We’re good.” The two boys shook hands. “Oh, by the way, I’m going to be late getting home today.”

Barry chuckled. “I know, Renaldo. You’ll be in detention. So will I.”

“That’s a relief. I don’t know what I would have done if I had to spend an hour without you,” Naldo joked. Barry laughed, but there really wasn’t much fallacy in what Naldo was saying. Barry couldn’t remember a time the two of them had gone more than an hour without talking to each other.

“Are we too codependent?” Barry asked, pondering the thought. Should the boys spend some time apart from each other?

“Probably, but I don’t care,” Naldo replied easily. He had other friends, of course. But none of them were as important to him as Barry. He could probably get by without them if he had to. No, he definitely could. But not Barry. Naldo needed him. And he was fine with that. Because he knew Barry needed him, too.

Barry was relieved that Naldo didn’t mind that the boys were possibly too close. Sometimes he worried about that. He worried that Naldo would realize how many other people there were out there, that could probably be better friends to him than Barry was. That he didn’t need to spend so much time with Barry, because the world had a lot more to offer. Barry never realized how insecure he was until it made him think about possibly losing Naldo.

“Hey Barry, what are you thinking about?” Naldo asked, noticing his friend hadn’t said anything in a while. He looked like he was mulling something over.

“You said yesterday that I would always have you,” Barry said thoughtfully. “You promise, right?”

“Of course,” Naldo answered, nodding. “You don’t have to worry about me going anywhere, Barry. You’re my best friend, and I’m not going to leave you. Ever.”

Barry nodded in reply, looking slightly relieved. “Good. I just… worry sometimes, I guess. I feel like you’re gonna realize one day that you can do better than me.”

Naldo looked appalled. “Barry, I had no idea you thought like that! You don’t have to worry, buddy! I’m not ever gonna realize that I can do better than you, because I can’t! You’re the best there is! You’re the only best friend I ever want to have.” He grabbed Barry’s hand and squeezed it in reassurance.

Barry could feel his face getting hot. He didn’t like getting all emotional like this, but for some reason, Naldo brought it out in him. “Me too, Renaldo,” he said, hugging his friend. He didn’t know how long the hug lasted, but he did know that by the time it ended, the bell had rung and their classmates had all fled the classroom. Whoops.

Not only had they not noticed the bell ringing, but they also missed their classmates staring at them confusedly for several seconds after the ringing had stopped, before they finally left the boys behind and made their way into the hallway.


	3. Chapter 3

When Naldo got home from school, his house was quiet. That was pretty ordinary. He really didn’t see his parents much on the weekdays. His mom seemed to always be at work, and his dad was usually in his room sleeping with the TV on (he was on disability and didn’t work). Because of this, Naldo’s house wasn’t the most uplifting place to be. He dropped off his bag and then headed out the door. He was going to head over to the lab, but he had only just exited his front door when he ran into Shelby.

“Hey Naldo!” she greeted happily. “My mom wanted to know if you wanted to come over for dinner tonight. She’s making lasagna.”

Ooh, Naldo loved Mrs. Marcus’s home-cooked meals. He agreed to come over in a bit, and thanked Shelby for the invitation.

“Bring Barry, too! Obviously,” she added, turning around with a quick wave before disappearing back down the street. Naldo went to go collect Barry from the lab, where he was working on a substance that would dissolve the pits in cherries, without damaging the cherries.

“Hey, did you talk to Shelby? We’re going to her house for dinner,” Naldo said, pulling on his rubber gloves.

“Oh, yeah. She said something, but I was busy working. I didn’t really hear her. We’re going to her house then? That’s fine.” Barry did have a problem listening to people whenever he was occupied with an experiment. Although, he wasn’t too bad with Naldo. He almost always paid attention to him. Naldo felt special.

Meanwhile, Shelby and Cyd were setting the table for dinner in the Marcuses’ house. “Remember, Cyd, we need two extra chairs. The boys are coming over,” Shelby reminded her friend, who was pulling chairs up to the table as they spoke.

“Yeah, I know. That was really nice of your mom to invite them. She’s always taking people in,” Cyd smiled appreciatively.

“Yeah, well, she knows Barry and Naldo don’t get a lot of home cooked meals, so.”

Just then Astrid entered the kitchen. “Plus, there’s something I want to talk to all you kids about,” she added, checking the lasagna in the oven.

“Ooh, what? Are we in trouble?” Shelby asked nervously, tightly gripping the plate she was holding.

“You will be if you break that plate,” Astrid retorted with a quick laugh. “No, actually, it’s good news. Your father and I have something fun planned.”

“Yay, fun!” Cyd clapped, nearly dropping the silverware she was holding. “Whoops, Shelbs, your clumsiness is rubbing off on me.”

“You love that I’m clumsy,” Shelby replied, rolling her eyes slightly as she smiled.

“I do love it,” Cyd agreed. “It’s adorable.” The girls smiled at each other as they finished setting the table.

Pretty soon it was time for dinner, and the Marcus family, Cyd, Barry, and Naldo were sitting down to begin their meal.

“Now, before I tell the story of the meal, your father has something he wants to share,” Astrid nodded toward Norm, who cleared his throat.

“I have some exciting news!” Norm paused for dramatic effect, and the kids all stared expectantly at him. Finally he spoke again. “GDD is sending me to their national conference this year, and it’s in Orlando! So we are all going to Disney World!”

“Oh my gosh, us too?” Naldo asked excitedly.

“Of course!”

“Wow, this is awesome!” Cyd cheered. “We are gonna wreck Disney World!”

Norm looked mildly concerned. “I hope that is one of your slang phrases, because if you actually wreck Disney World, I think we’d be kicked out.”

***

Barry had been so excited to tell his parents about his upcoming trip with his friends to Florida, but his excitement wore off quickly. His parents weren’t letting him go. Honestly, he should have expected it. They were too protective of him to let him go anywhere without them. He was just hoping this would be a special circumstance. Didn’t they want him to have fun? Didn’t they want him to spend time with his friends? They always seemed like they wished Barry had more friends, so why wouldn’t they want him to go be with the few he actually did have? It was so unfair.

Barry didn’t even want to walk back over to Shelby’s house to break the bad news. He knew his friends would want him on the trip, and he didn’t want to ruin their anticipation. He would just wait to tell them.

Or at least that’s what he planned. But when Naldo ran over to Barry’s house to ask him what he should pack for their trip, Barry’s plan failed.

“I don’t know, Renaldo. Clothes for warm weather, I suppose,” Barry answered solemnly.

“Well, what are you gonna pack?” Naldo asked innocently, pulling a suitcase out of Barry’s closet and tossing it on the bed.

“I’m not packing anything, because I’m not going,” Barry explained. He couldn’t keep it from Naldo any longer. He should have known. He always broke so easily.

Barry explained that his parents wouldn’t allow him to go on the trip, and he could tell Naldo was really upset. “I’m sorry, buddy. I wish I could come. I really do. But you know my parents. They aren’t gonna change their mind.”

Naldo thought about it for a second. “Well, I guess it’s a nice thing that they don’t want you to go without them. They just would miss you too much. My parents, on the other hand, won’t even notice I’m gone. Seriously, when I told them about the trip, it’s like they couldn’t get rid of me fast enough.” Actually, Naldo had been surprised that his parents even listened long enough to hear where he was going. It had probably been the longest conversation they had had all week.

“I’m sure that’s not true, Renaldo. Your parents will definitely miss you. How could they not?” Barry sat down on the bed next to Naldo and closed the suitcase. Barry wouldn’t be needing it, after all. “I’ll certainly miss you.”

“Aw, thanks Barry,” Naldo hugged his friend. “Hey, do you want me to stay? If you don’t want me to go without you, I’d understand.”

“No, don’t be ridiculous. I don’t want you to miss out on this trip just because I have to,” Barry protested.

But he still looked upset. Naldo hated seeing him like that. “Barry, really, I won’t go. I’d feel too bad leaving you here alone.”

“Renaldo, please. I’m asking you to go,” Barry insisted. “I’ll be fine here. I’ll go over some experiments we haven’t perfected yet, and you’ll be back before we know it.”

“But I don’t even know if I’ll have fun without you.” Naldo really didn’t know. He had never had to find out. He and Barry spent all of their time together.

“You will have fun. It will be great! Seriously, don’t worry about me. I’d never want you to stay and miss out on this. Not for me.”

Naldo still wasn’t totally satisfied, but he didn’t want to argue with Barry anymore. Barry usually didn’t have a problem saying what was on his mind, so if he wanted Naldo to stay, he would say it. Right? But he didn’t ask Naldo to stay. So it was decided. Naldo was going on the trip. And Barry was staying behind.


	4. Chapter 4

The plane ride was uneventful. Naldo just watched Spark Dynamo on his tablet while Cyd slept in the seat next to him, and Shelby read a book across the aisle. It took a while, but finally they reached their destination. Naldo nudged Cyd to wake her up, and the family exited the plane.

They were hit with a blast of humidity once they left the airport a half hour later. Shelby quickly pulled her hair up before it had a chance to get frizzy, and Naldo lent her one of his hats to cover it up. As he was pulling the hat out of his bag, he also grabbed his phone and switched it off of Airplane mode. Hmm, no texts from Barry. That was weird. Naldo decided to send his friend a quick message.

Hey! What have you been up to today? Miss me yet?

Barry didn’t text back immediately, and they had to make their way to the hotel to check in anyway, so Naldo put his phone back in his pocket and followed the family into the cab.

***

Barry smiled at the message on his phone. He hadn’t wanted to make Naldo feel guilty that Barry wasn’t on the trip with them, so he had made a point not to text his friend. But of course Naldo was checking in. That was so like him. Barry figured he should let Naldo enjoy himself, so he put his phone away. Better not text Renaldo and get him distracted from the trip he was supposed to be experiencing.

But if he was being honest, Barry did already miss Naldo. The lab felt empty without him. That gave Barry an idea. He would invite Marci over. She was a real chatterbox, so he knew he couldn’t possibly be lonely with her there. He grabbed his phone to text her and was a bit disappointed to see that Naldo hadn’t texted him again. Usually whenever Barry didn’t get back to him right away, Naldo sent another message. He must just be really busy on his vacation, Barry realized, feeling slightly bummed. But he was the one who had insisted Naldo go on the trip. He really had no room to feel upset, Barry reminded himself.

He didn’t have too long to dwell on the thought anyway, because Marci soon arrived. “Hey, Barry! What did you want to do? I was thinking we could go to the science museum! They opened a new exhibit last week that has a zero gravity chamber, and I thought we could go in it and pretend we’re drifting away from all humanity and don’t stand a chance in the vast expanse of the endless universe.” Marci’s thoughts were grim, but she voiced them as though they were the most positive ideas in the world.

“That sounds like fun, Marci, but I can’t,” Barry replied. “Renaldo and I are going to that exhibit together. We already made plans.”

“Oh,” Marci sighed. “Well, okay, then… do you want to go eat somewhere?” So they did. They went to the Mexican restaurant a few blocks away. And they had a nice time, actually. Barry hardly thought about his friends having fun without him. Well, so he did think about them, but not the entire time. There were several minutes where Marci told a bizarre story about her uncle who had once been a belly dancer, where Barry didn’t think about his friends at all. But Marci’s stories could only distract him for so long, and pretty soon it was evening, and he was alone again.

He sat in the living room with his parents, with the TV on, but not actually paying attention to it. Normally he would be in his lab, but he really didn’t want to work on any experiments that he and Renaldo had already started, because then Naldo wouldn’t be there to see the results. Barry thought it best to wait for his friends to come back. But then he realized he was just putting his life on pause for them. That couldn’t be healthy. He had to keep on living his life, even though they weren’t around. But maybe not tonight. Barry decided to just go to bed. He could tackle the whole ‘life’ thing tomorrow. 

***

The next morning, Naldo checked his phone as soon as he woke up. Still no text back from Barry. Naldo was worried for a minute, but he knew that if something had happened, Barry’s parents would have called. So maybe Barry was just really busy. Maybe he was working on experiments that would have been more difficult to do if Naldo was bugging him all the time. Maybe Barry was glad to have Naldo out of his hair for a while. Naldo didn’t like this thought at all, but if Barry wanted some separation, Naldo would give it to him. He would throw himself into having fun on this trip.

So he did. He rode as many rides at Disney World as he possibly could. He ate so much food he thought he would burst. He played the arcade games until his fingers hurt and his wallet was empty. He took so many pictures his phone died. He watched so many light shows his vision got spotty. He filled his day with as much fun as anyone could ever have. And he still missed Barry.

He had to put those thoughts out of his head. And when a cute girl came up to Naldo and asked if he would take a photo of her and her friends, Naldo knew just the way to do it.

“There you go,” he said, handing her back her phone once he had snapped the photo. “You look great. And the photo doesn’t even do you justice.”

“Thanks,” the girl giggled, taking her phone from Naldo, and making sure her hand lingered a little longer than necessary, so their fingers would brush for another second. “I’m Jill.”

“I’m Naldo. Where are you from?”

“Sacramento.”

“Oh, nice! I’m from Portland,” Naldo replied. “We’re both West Coast! How’d you and your friends get to come here to Florida?”

“We’re on a trip with our school marching band,” Jill answered. Before Naldo could ask anything else, Cyd came up and grabbed his arm. “Come on, Naldo. We’re going to eat.”

“I’ll be there in a second,” Naldo assured her. Cyd and Shelby headed toward the restaurant across the way, and Naldo turned back to Jill. “Did you want to come eat with us?”

“That depends. Is one of those girls your girlfriend?” Jill asked, obviously flirting.

“No, they’re just my friends.” Naldo smiled at her, just as his phone went off.

“Is that your girlfriend?” Jill pointed to Naldo’s phone.

Naldo laughed. It was Barry. Finally! He had been waiting forever for Barry to text him back. He grinned at his phone and typed in his passcode to read Barry’s message.

“I guess so,” Jill murmured to herself. Naldo didn’t even seem to notice she was still there. She headed back over to her group of friends. Naldo didn’t see her leave, and a minute later when he was done replying to Barry’s text, he didn’t even remember he had been talking to her. He followed Shelby and Cyd into the restaurant, still gripping tightly onto his phone. Barry would be texting again, and he didn’t want to miss it.


	5. Chapter 5

The plane ride home to Portland was certainly more eventful than the plane ride to Florida. The plane hadn’t even taken off before Cyd turned to Naldo and declared that they had to talk.

“What do we need to talk about?” Naldo asked, slightly nervous. Cyd looked serious, and she was so rarely serious.

Cyd scooted a bit closer to Naldo and leaned in. “Well, Shelby and I were talking, and I asked her opinion on something I’ve been wondering about.” Cyd paused. “And…we both came to an agreement. So I wanted to ask you something.” She swallowed thickly. “Naldo, we think-” But before she could finish, Shelby reached across the aisle and grabbed Cyd’s arm.

“Cyd, forget it. This isn’t right,” she said. She gave Cyd a stern look, and Cyd sighed in response.

“Shelby, it’s okay. It’s not like we care! I just want to know. Don’t you?”

“Okay, you guys have to tell me what you’re talking about,” Naldo demanded. “What were you going to say, Cyd?”

But Shelby spoke before Cyd could. “Naldo, Cyd was going to ask you a personal question that really isn’t any of our business. Just forget it.”

“But he’s one of our best friends! How is it not our business?” Cyd persisted.

“Because not everything is! You need to learn to leave things alone, Cyd!” Shelby exclaimed, angry now. Cyd looked hurt, and immediately Shelby looked regretful.

Naldo didn’t want his friends to fight. He was curious what they had wanted to ask him, but it was more important that they get along than for him to satisfy his curiosity. “Guys, think of an hour ago. I’m sending you back to then, because I don’t want you fighting like this.” He grabbed his friends’ hands.

“It doesn’t work like that, Naldo,” Shelby reminded him. “We’ll still remember why we were arguing, even if we go back to before we started.” She pulled her hand back and placed it in her lap. “I don’t want to fight,” she said to Cyd, giving her a soft smile. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

“No, you were right to,” Cyd replied. “I was out of line.” Then she turned to Naldo. “Naldo, you’re a really good friend, and I wasn’t being that to you when I was trying to invade your privacy. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Cyd,” Naldo assured her, squeezing her hand, which he was still holding. “I’m not mad. I just…what do you mean you were trying to invade my privacy? What were you going to ask me?” Cyd opened her mouth to speak, but Naldo kept going. “And before you say it doesn’t matter, don’t. It matters to me. I don’t care if you think you shouldn’t ask. I want you to. We’re friends, and we can talk about private stuff.”

“Okay, well, if you’re sure…” Cyd began.

“And no matter what you say, we’re still gonna love you,” Shelby pitched in.

“Absolutely,” Cyd agreed. She continued, “We were wondering…do you have feelings for Barry?”

Naldo blinked. He had not seen this coming. But should he have? Maybe it was naïve of him to think that no one noticed how he always wanted to spend time with Barry, and that when he wasn’t with Barry, he was talking about him. But that just meant they were really close friends. There was nothing more to it than that. Right? Naldo knew that Barry was the most important person in his life, and he wouldn’t be able to handle it if they weren’t friends anymore. But everyone felt that way about their friends, didn’t they? Didn’t everyone get jealous when their best friend spent time with someone else? And when their best friend showed interest in a girl? Didn’t everyone get inconsolably angry when someone said something bad about their best friend, and confront the person, even if they were bigger and stronger? Didn’t everyone let themselves get beat up defending their best friend, because it would be worth it in the end? And didn’t everyone have to try their hardest to keep their mind off their best friend when they were separated by state lines? Didn’t everyone have to get themselves to show interest in other people, because they didn’t want to seem too clingy to their best friend? Naldo’s feelings were nothing more than the way anyone feels about their best friend.

But even as he thought it, Naldo knew it wasn’t true. The way he felt about Barry went a lot deeper than just friendship, no matter how scary it was to admit. That’s why he had had to distract himself from thinking of Barry the day before. That’s why he had tried to flirt with that girl Jill. And it had even worked! Naldo liked girls just fine. It was easy for him to talk to them. But they weren’t Barry. And it didn’t take long for him to figure that out yesterday. As soon as he got the real thing, in the form of a text from Barry, he saw that Jill was just an imitation. He would never find the feeling that he got when he was with Barry by being with anyone else. And that scared him. A lot.

Naldo was afraid. He had suspected for a while now that he had these feelings, but he had tried not to make them so obvious to others. Obviously he had failed on this trip, because now Cyd and Shelby had caught on. Naldo wasn’t that surprised though, when he really thought about this. Sure, he hoped to live the rest of his life without anyone knowing, because that would just be easier. But maybe he subconsciously acted obvious about his feelings because he wanted to be found out. Maybe he was sick of hiding his feelings, and was just waiting for someone to call him out on them. After all, he had pushed Cyd into asking her personal question, even when the girls had said it would be invading his privacy. Maybe he secretly wanted them to ask, because he wanted to tell them. He wanted to share with someone what he had been holding in for so long. He had feelings for Barry, it was too hard to hide them anymore. It was hurting to keep his feelings inside, so it was a relief that his friends knew now.

As long as they didn’t tell Barry. That would be humiliating.

Naldo knew that if Barry knew how he felt, that would just make things awkward between them. Naldo didn’t want to lose Barry over this. He didn’t want him to be creeped out and not want to spend time with Naldo anymore, for fear that Naldo would make a move on him or something. Naldo never would, of course. But he was afraid that Barry would be uncomfortable being around someone who he knew liked him, someone who he had no feelings other than friendship for. And that was really the best case scenario. Barry might even be more than uncomfortable: he might be disgusted. He might want nothing to do with Naldo. And Naldo couldn’t handle that. It would break him.

But then he thought about what Barry had said to him only a few days ago. Barry was scared that he would lose Naldo someday. He was afraid that Naldo would move on from him, and find something better. Naldo knew that would never happen, but if Barry was so intent on not losing Naldo, that meant he certainly wouldn’t push him away. Right? Naldo started to have a little hope. Maybe Barry wouldn’t be disgusted with him at all, and would support him as a friend. Maybe it would be better if Barry knew how Naldo felt, just so that they didn’t have any secrets from each other.

Naldo did want to be honest with Barry. And Barry was such a great guy, he would almost definitely be supportive of Naldo. He would be his friend through this confusing time, and he would tick by Naldo, because as he had said, he never wanted to lose him. Naldo smiled at this thought. He was relieved to think that Barry would probably still be his friend. And that’s really all he could hope for. He knew Barry would never return his feelings. But at least he would still be in Naldo’s life. That was enough for Naldo. He just needed Barry to be there. He would take him anyway he could have him. Because he needed him. Naldo accepted this. He needed Barry in his life. He wouldn’t be able to make it without him. And he knew it. So he finally answered Cyd, “Yes.” There it was. He had feelings for Barry, and he wasn’t keeping it a secret anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

Naldo still wasn’t totally sure if he wanted to tell Barry the truth about how he felt. He was leaning toward not telling him, just because he didn’t want to make Barry feel awkward. But he hadn’t completely made up his mind yet. He was sitting at the booth in the lab, waiting for Barry to arrive for the morning’s experiments. It was early, and Naldo’s flight hadn’t gotten in until late the night before, so he was pretty tired. But he wasn’t going to bail on Barry. He would never.

Meanwhile, Barry did not expect Naldo to be awake yet, considering his flight last night wasn’t scheduled to arrive until nighttime. So Barry was startled when he entered the RV to find Naldo already there.

“Renaldo!” he exclaimed happily, hugging his friend. “I’m glad you’re here! I’ve been waiting to finish up some of these experiments. I didn’t want to do it without you,” he explained.

Naldo hugged Barry back, but made sure not to linger too long. He pulled away, regretfully. He was touched that Barry had waited for him to come back. Gosh, he really liked him. It was not going to be easy to keep these feelings to himself, especially now that other people knew. Naldo knew that Cyd and Shelby wouldn’t say anything to Barry, but he still felt weird just knowing that other people were now aware of his feelings. He didn’t have too much time to think about it, though, because Barry continued on.

“I really missed you, Renaldo,” Barry admitted, giving Naldo a soft smile. Naldo’s heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t easy for him to act like everything was normal whenever Barry said things like that. He tried to play it off.

“Yeah, I missed you too,” he replied curtly. “Now let’s get to work.”

Barry was taken aback. “Oh, I wanted to hear about your trip. I mean, I know we texted a lot, but still. You must have some stories to share! What was the best part?”

Naldo thought about it. The best part had been when he had shared his feelings with the girls, because they were so supportive. They had told him he had nothing to be embarrassed about, and that he didn’t have to worry about what people thought. They promised not to say anything to Barry, but they also encouraged Naldo to say something. They told him that Barry would like to know how he felt, because Barry felt a lot of the time like he wasn’t lovable, like no one would ever want to be with him. They thought it would make him feel good to know that Naldo liked him like that, even though he only liked Naldo as a friend.

“Hello?” Barry waved his hand in front of Naldo’s face. Whoops. Naldo hadn’t realized he had just been standing there, not saying anything. He bit his lip. Maybe the girls were right, and he should tell Barry how he felt. It did seem like Barry would react pretty well. Naldo knew Barry cared a lot about him, and he had obviously missed Naldo a lot when he was in Florida. So it was pretty unlikely that Barry would just decide he couldn’t be friends with Naldo anymore. He would probably stick by him, just like he always did.

And maybe it could be great. Naldo could tell Barry the truth, and they would be closer than ever, because there would be no secrets between them. And although Naldo knew it would never happen, he let himself entertain the idea that maybe, possibly Barry could potentially like him back. Naldo had never let himself think like this before, but it was nice to imagine a possible future where he and Barry could actually be together.

They would hold hands in the hallways at school, they would text each other flirty lines, they would go on movie dates and share popcorn. They would spend the night in the RV with the skylight open, looking up at the stars and cuddling on a blanket. They would go on romantic dates, out to fancy restaurants, or just picnics on the beach. They would gaze into each other’s eyes and smile as they saw the world reflected in their pupils. They would lean in closer and closer until their lips brushed, and they would kiss each other with all they had. They would hold each other close whenever one of them was upset, and stroke each other’s hair to calm them down. They would spend their days in the lab, conducting experiments and falling more and more in love. They would be a wonderful couple, and they would make each other happy.

Naldo shook himself out of his daydream. He should never have let himself think like that. He knew it was dangerous. His eyes were watering now, and he couldn’t let Barry see. He had to get out of the RV, now.

He ran out the door, keeping his head down so Barry wouldn’t see his eyes filling up with tears. But Barry followed close behind, grabbing Naldo’s arm. “Renaldo, what happened on the trip? Is everything okay? Talk to me. Please.”

Naldo couldn’t stop the tears from falling anymore. He turned to face Barry, who then sighed in despair at his friend’s upset state. Barry reached out to wipe Naldo’s tears off his face, but Naldo swatted his hand away. “Barry, you can’t… you can’t do stuff like that. You’re making this really hard for me.”

Barry looked taken aback. He put his arms back at his sides, but that didn’t feel right either. He pulled at his hair in frustration. “What is going on with you? I’m trying to be supportive here, but you know I struggle with stuff like this. What am I supposed to do?” Barry’s voice cracked. He felt so useless. Naldo was obviously really hurting, and Barry had no idea why. He wished he could help, but he was never very good at that. He had never been so resentful of his lack of social grace. Maybe if he was different, he would know how to handle this situation. He felt his eyes sting as they filled up with hot tears of frustration. He just wanted to make Naldo feel better, but he knew he couldn’t do that if his friend didn’t tell him exactly what to do. That’s just how Barry was. He was awkward and socially challenged. And right now he hated it more than ever.

Naldo shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe we just need to take a break.”

“But why?” Barry exclaimed, exasperated. “Why can’t you talk to me? You’ve always been able to talk to me!”

“Well not this time. You…I can’t talk about it with you. Because it’s about you.” Naldo knew he shouldn’t have admitted that, but as he was getting more emotional, it was getting harder to control what came out of his mouth. He no longer seemed to have a filter.

Barry’s eyes had overflowed now. He tried to wipe his tears away, but they kept coming. “So it is me, then. I did something, and you’re mad at me. And you’re saying I can’t fix it? And this is just it?” He was having a hard time getting the words out now, because he was trying to hold back his sobs. “This is the end of us? We’re done being friends?”

“I think we have to be.” Naldo sniffled, but it was useless. His face was covered in tears already. It hardly mattered if a few more fell.

Barry shook his head. “No,” he managed, his voice thick with tears. “Naldo, please.” He reached for his friend and pulled him close. They were inches apart now. Barry looked into Naldo’s eyes and saw a lot of pain. He hated that. He wanted to make Naldo feel better. That’s all he wanted.

Once again, Barry tried to wipe away Naldo’s tears. And this time Naldo let him. As Barry did so, Naldo was holding his breath, but he didn’t realize it. He couldn’t focus on anything else. All he knew was that Barry was very close. And then he was getting closer. And then Naldo was leaning in. And Barry was holding Naldo’s face. And Naldo was closing the space between them. And then there was no space between them. Now Naldo’s lips were on Barry’s, and there was nothing else. Just them. In this moment. With time standing still.


	7. Chapter 7

Barry’s head was spinning. He wasn’t totally sure what was happening. He knew that Naldo had been really upset, and Barry had wanted to help him feel better. But how did that lead to them kissing? Barry hadn’t even noticed how close he had gotten to Naldo, moving in more and more until there was no space between them. And apparently at some point he had grabbed onto Naldo’s face and held it in his hands. Barry didn’t know what had come over him. He just hated seeing Naldo cry. And at least if they were kissing, Naldo wasn’t crying.

Barry wasn’t even sure who had closed the gap between them. Had it been him? Had he been the one to kiss Naldo? No, that couldn’t be it. But then… that meant that Naldo had kissed him. Why would he do that?

And then Barry knew. Naldo had said that Barry had to stop doing things like that, when Barry had tried to wipe his friend’s tears away. He said Barry was making it harder for him. And now Barry was pretty sure he knew what Naldo meant when he said that. Naldo couldn’t handle Barry doing things like that for him because it made it harder to ignore his feelings. Whoa. Barry didn’t know what to think. Naldo had feelings for him? He had never expected this.

Barry didn’t want to get ahead of himself. He was a scientist after all, and scientists always double checked their results. He couldn’t jump to conclusions. Maybe Naldo was just confused. Or maybe he had kissed Barry because he wanted Barry to stop crying. Barry could understand that. In fact, he still wasn’t totally sure that he hadn’t done the same thing to stop Naldo from crying.

As soon as the boys had pulled back from the kiss (and again, Barry wasn’t sure who had pulled away first), Naldo ran out of the yard without another word. That had been only a few minutes ago, and Barry’s head was still reeling. But he couldn’t just stand there like an idiot. He had to find out what had just happened.

***

Naldo had never felt like such an idiot. He couldn’t believe he had kissed Barry. Well, actually, it wasn’t that surprising when he thought about it. Naldo was always doing things out of pure emotion, rather than thinking about them rationally. So really, he should have known it would only be a matter of time before he slipped up and revealed his feelings for his friend. It was still really embarrassing, though. Which is why Naldo had run away as soon as the kiss ended.

One thing was still infiltrating Naldo’s thoughts, though. He had been the one to pull away from the kiss. At least that’s what it felt like. It didn’t seem like Barry was in any hurry to back away. And Barry had been the one holding Naldo’s face. Naldo couldn’t help thinking that maybe that meant something. Maybe Barry wasn’t so disgusted by the thought of Naldo liking him like that as Naldo thought he would be.

But Naldo knew he shouldn’t let himself get carried away like that. It was probably all in his imagination that Barry had lingered during the kiss. And even if he had, it was probably just because he was trying to make Naldo feel better. Barry was definitely the type of friend who would do that. He would do anything to make Naldo happy.

And maybe Cyd and Shelby had been right when they said that Barry would just like the idea of someone having feelings for him. He wasn’t the most secure person in the world, and maybe it just made him feel good to know that it was possible that someone could be interested in him. Maybe Naldo was just a sign to Barry that he could potentially be with someone someday. Just because that made Barry happy didn’t mean that he would actually want to be with Naldo. And Naldo knew that, in his head. But his heart was still dwelling on the fact that Barry had kissed him back. He needed to know what that meant.

Naldo left his house in a hurry, and was nearly to the RV when he almost collided with Barry. “Hey,” Naldo said timidly. “I wanted to talk to you.” He motioned to the chairs on the lawn, and Barry nodded in agreement. Both boys sat down, looking slightly uncomfortable.

“Why did you kiss me?” Barry blurted out, unable to contain himself any longer.

Naldo immediately got defensive. “Why did you kiss me back?” he demanded.

“I don’t know,” Barry admitted. “I just felt like I should, I guess.”

“Oh.” Naldo felt the little bit of hope he had built up disappear. So Barry had just been trying to do what he thought he should. He just wanted to make Naldo feel better. Naldo had suspected as much, but it still hurt to have it confirmed. “Well, um, thanks. For being so cool about it. You didn’t have to kiss me back, though. I mean, what was the use, really? So now I’m just facing rejection a little bit later than I would have? You could have pushed me away then, instead of now.”

Barry shook his head vigorously. “No, Renaldo, I’m not trying to push you away. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that I only kissed you because I thought you wanted me to.” But Barry didn’t even know if what he was saying was true. He probably wouldn’t have kissed Naldo back if Naldo hadn’t been so upset. Right? It was just a way to make his friend feel better. Barry was just going along with what Naldo was doing. Right?

“So that’s not why you did it?”

“I don’t know,” Barry said again. “I just hated seeing you so upset.” He at least knew that part was true.

Naldo was getting frustrated. “Yeah, but you can’t just kiss someone so they’ll stop crying.”

“I didn’t! You kissed me!” Barry exclaimed. “And how do I know you didn’t do it so I would stop crying?”

“I didn’t. I promise.” Naldo took a deep breath. “I kissed you because… because I’ve been wanting to kiss you for a long time. I really like you, Barry. And I know that’s weird, and I know we’re just friends, but I can’t help it.”

Barry felt his whole body heating up. He had been right. Naldo did have feelings for him. And Barry had no idea what to think. On one hand, he was flattered. Naldo was a great guy, and he could have anyone he wanted. It felt good to know that he wanted Barry. But on the other hand, how long had Naldo felt this way? Barry hated to think that Naldo had been keeping this from him for a long time. Friends didn’t do that. And Naldo was Barry’s best friend. Barry thought he could trust him with his life. But now apparently he couldn’t even trust Naldo to tell him how he was feeling?

But at least Naldo had told him now, right? Although, he probably only told Barry because he couldn’t avoid it anymore, not because he really wanted to. Barry was kind of hurt that Naldo hadn’t shared this with him sooner. But he tried to think about how Naldo must feel. He was probably afraid of being rejected by Barry. Barry hoped Naldo hadn’t gone through too much pain over this whole thing. Barry would never say he couldn’t be friends with Naldo. No matter what Naldo did, or how he felt, Barry would always stand by him.

Barry remembered what Naldo had said just a few minutes ago. Barry could have rejected Naldo when he kissed him, but he hadn’t. Barry had kissed Naldo back. So surely Naldo must know that he could trust Barry. Maybe that’s why he had finally confessed his feelings. At least now Naldo knew Barry would always be there for him. That made Barry feel good. He never wanted Naldo to doubt their friendship.

That sparked a thought in Barry. How would this change their friendship? Barry didn’t think he really wanted it to change, just because it was already so great. But if Naldo was unhappy, trying to keep his feelings at bay, Barry didn’t want that either. He figured he should explain that to Naldo.

“Renaldo, I don’t want you to struggle with this. I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide your feelings. I’m really glad you told me about them. And I’m not weirded out, I promise. I want us to always be friends.” Barry smiled in reassurance.

However, Naldo wasn’t so reassured. He knew he should be grateful that Barry had accepted his feelings for easily, but Naldo couldn’t help wishing for something more. After Barry had kissed him back, Naldo had thought maybe that meant something. Maybe Barry had some slight feelings for Naldo too, even if he didn’t know it. But after what Barry had just said, it was clear that there were no feelings there. He only wanted to be friends. Always just friends.

“Yeah, I want that too.” Naldo hugged Barry tightly. And it was true. Naldo did want them to always be friends. He just also wanted them to be more than that. And before Barry knew how Naldo felt, Naldo could imagine that one day, they would be more than friends. But now that the truth was out, Naldo knew for sure that Barry would only ever feel platonic feelings for him. As much as it was a relief that Naldo wasn’t hiding his feelings from Barry anymore, it was just as disappointing to have confirmation that Barry would never feel the same way about Naldo.

But Naldo figured he shouldn’t dwell on the negative. Things had actually turned out pretty well. Barry was still his friend. He wasn’t disgusted with Naldo, or angry with him. Things would stay the same as the always were.

But that really didn’t feel that great to Naldo. He would always have feelings for Barry. And Barry would never return those feelings. Sure, they had kissed, but as much as Naldo hated to admit it, it hadn’t changed anything.


	8. Chapter 8

A few days had passed since the kiss, and things were getting back to normal. The boys were back in the lab, conducting experiments like always. And sure, things got awkward sometimes, like when their hands would brush or they would keep eye contact for too long, but Barry tried to just shake those moments off. He was just glad he and Naldo were still friends.

He had been a little worried that Naldo wouldn’t want to be his friend after Barry hadn’t reciprocated his feelings. That would have destroyed Barry. He could not lose Naldo. But he had had faith that Naldo wouldn’t just abandon him. Even if they couldn’t be together the way Naldo wanted, wasn’t it better to be together in any way that they could?

Still, Barry felt bad that he had given Naldo false hope by kissing him back. He hadn’t meant to make Naldo think anything that wasn’t true. But in the moment, it just felt so right to kiss Naldo like that. Both boys had been very upset, and that melted away when they were kissing. Barry had felt warm and comfortable and happy. But that didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t mean anything. And it also didn’t mean anything that now Barry was sure Naldo had been the one to pull away from the kiss. It didn’t mean anything that Barry felt like he could have kissed Naldo forever. That he probably wouldn’t have stopped if Naldo hadn’t pulled away. He would have kept kissing Naldo, with more and more passion, to show Naldo how much he meant to Barry. To let Naldo know that he was the most important person in Barry’s life, and Barry didn’t know how to express that in words. So he expressed it by kissing Naldo back. So what? That didn’t mean anything.

Okay, maybe it meant something.

Barry really didn’t understand his feelings. He had always known that he loved Naldo, and that Naldo was his best friend, but he hadn’t realized that his feelings were unusual for just a friendship. Not until recently had he discovered that he and Naldo were probably much closer than most friends. Marci had commented on their inability to be apart more than once, and when Naldo had been away in Florida, Barry had never felt more alone.

And then the other day, when Naldo was so upset, Barry’s heart felt like it was being crushed. It only felt better when Naldo kissed him. That’s why Barry had kissed him back. He wanted Naldo to feel better the way that Barry did. And now that Barry knew about Naldo’s feelings for him, he wanted to make sure that Naldo wasn’t hurting over his feelings. He did everything he could to make Naldo as comfortable as possible. But he worried that wasn’t enough. He finally decided to confront Naldo about it.

“Renaldo,” Barry began. “You know that I’m okay with you having feelings for me, and we’re okay, and we’ll always be friends. But are you okay? How are you dealing with all of this? Is there anything I can do to make this easier for you?”

Naldo wasn’t sure what to say. Because he didn’t think Barry could do anything to make it better. Naldo wasn’t crying himself to sleep every night or anything, but it was still difficult to accept that he loved someone who would never love him back in that way. It was great that Barry was still his best friend, and that they were still getting along great, but Naldo couldn’t help his lingering thoughts. He still had deep feelings for Barry, and he knew that wasn’t going to change.

“No, there’s nothing you can do,” he told his friend. “You’re being so great about this, Barry. And I really appreciate it. I’m fine.” He tried to smile, but it wasn’t very convincing.

Barry reached for Naldo’s hand, but then remembered that he wasn’t supposed to do that anymore. He sat on his hand instead. “Tell me the truth, Renaldo. Is it too hard for you to still be my friend? Because if you can’t be around me, I…” Barry swallowed the lump in his throat. “I would understand.”

Naldo thought about it. Honestly, it was hard to be around Barry. But it was nothing compared to what it would be like without him. Naldo knew he couldn’t live without his friend in his life in some way. Having Barry just as a friend was much better than not having him at all. “No, it’s not too hard. It’s not easy sometimes, but it’s not too difficult that I want to stop being friends. Nothing would make me want to stop being friends.” Naldo smiled again, this time sincerely.

But a few minutes later, something occurred to Naldo. There might actually be something that would make it too difficult for him to be friends with Barry. He didn’t think he would ever be able to handle seeing Barry be with someone else romantically. Naldo would be too jealous. He would hate to see Barry be closer to someone than he was to Naldo. He knew it wasn’t a healthy way to be, but Naldo couldn’t help it. He needed to be the most important person in Barry’s life. But he couldn’t exactly tell Barry that. That would come off as desperate, wouldn’t it?

Naldo figured it was for the best to keep these feelings to himself. Maybe he wouldn’t have to worry about Barry getting involved with someone for a long time. Maybe that was years away. And Naldo would probably be over his feelings for Barry by then. Right?

What Naldo didn’t realize is that he had nothing to worry about in regards to Barry being with someone else, because right now the only person Barry could think about was Naldo. Barry was still considering his feelings for his friend, now sure that they were more than just friendship. But Barry didn’t know what this meant. Was he just extremely attached to Naldo because the boy had changed Barry’s life? Most friends didn’t do that, after all. That would be a perfectly reasonable explanation for why Barry felt so much closer to Naldo than he knew most friends felt about each other. It was because Naldo had changed Barry. He had helped Barry become who he was today.

Without Naldo, Barry would be alone. An outcast, a loner. Even worse, Barry would probably be a villain. He had never felt accepted by his peers until Naldo came along. He had never felt like anyone would ever want to be his friend, or that he would ever mean anything to anyone. He figured he would pass through life without impacting anyone. No one would even notice he was there. That was why he had decided that being a villain was his best course of action. At least if he was destroying the world, he was being noticed.

But when Naldo came along, he had shown Barry that he could be noticed without causing destruction. All he had to do was be himself, and he would be accepted. Sure, he still wasn’t the most popular kid in school, but that didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that not everyone noticed him. The important people did. He had everyone he could ever need. People cared about him now. And he did make a difference in people’s lives. And it was all because of Naldo.

That’s why Barry loved him so much. That’s why Barry looked forward to seeing Naldo every day. And why he missed him so much when he was gone. And why he could never lose Naldo. And why he would do anything to make Naldo happy. And why even if he lost everything, he would still be okay, because he would hold onto Naldo. He would hold onto Naldo for the rest of his life, and never let him go. Naldo was it for Barry. He was everything. His best friend. His family. His hero. Naldo was the love of Barry’s life.

Oh! That was it! Naldo was the love of Barry’s life! Barry had figured out his feelings at last. Now he just had to decide what to do about them.


	9. Chapter 9

Barry knew he wanted to tell Naldo how he felt. In fact. Barry was actually really excited to tell Naldo. He already knew that Naldo had feelings for him, so there was nothing to be scared of. Everything would be great.

That’s what Barry kept telling himself, anyway. But deep down he knew it wasn’t true. Maybe things would work out and he and Naldo could be together, and that would be amazing. But Barry knew that wouldn’t be the end of his problems. He had always been a bit of a worrier, and he couldn’t help stressing over how other people would react when they knew the two boys were a couple.

Even though Barry wasn’t popular by any means, he wasn’t actively disliked by his peers. They were indifferent to him. But that would probably change if they knew Barry was dating a boy, wouldn’t it? They would look at him differently. They would judge him. Barry tried not to spend too much time dwelling on what other people would think of him, but as a high schooler, these things did affect his life a great deal. He couldn’t just shrug off the feelings like they didn’t matter.

He figured he should just take things one step at a time, so he didn’t get overwhelmed by the stress. First things first, he had to tell Naldo how he felt. No more putting it off. It was time.

So when Barry woke up the next morning, he rushed to the lab. He wanted to tell Naldo as soon as possible. He was so ready. It seemed like hours before Naldo finally arrived, but it was actually probably only a few minutes. Barry was just so eager to share his feelings that the time seemed to crawl. Barry laughed at that thought. He couldn’t remember any other time when he has been so excited to share his feelings. Usually it made him uncomfortable to talk about how he was feeling. But not now. Not with Naldo.

When Naldo walked in the door, Barry beamed at him. Naldo immediately smiled back. “You’re in a good mood,” he commented, heading over to the counter Barry was leaning against.

“I am.” Barry held each of Naldo’s hands in his own. “I have something to tell you.”

Naldo’s smile grew. Was this going where he thought it was going? It had to be, right? Why else would Barry be holding his hands? Why else would Barry’s eyes be twinkling like that? This was it, wasn’t it? Naldo’s heart was beating so fast he could almost hear it.

Barry took a deep breath. “I love you, Renaldo. More than a friend. More than I ever thought I could love anybody.” His eyes were filling up with tears, but his smile grew wider by the word. “I am in love with you. And I’m sorry it took me so long to see that.”

Naldo’s eyes were also beginning to water. “What changed? A couple days ago you just wanted to be friends.”

“A couple days ago I was scared,” Barry admitted. “I didn’t want our friendship to change. I didn’t want anything to change. You know I’ve always been afraid of losing you.”

Naldo cupped Barry’s cheek and wiped away a tear. “You don’t have to be afraid of that. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I know.” Barry’s voice was watery with sobs, but his smile was bigger than ever. “And I’m so happy.”

“Me too.” Naldo wrapped his arms around Barry and squeezed him tight. “So we’re doing this?”

Barry pulled slightly away from the hug, still loosely clinging onto Naldo. “We’re doing this.” He held Naldo’s face in his hands and leaned in. This kiss was less urgent than their first one. It was less out of desperation and more out of happiness. It was two boys in love, showing that love as deeply as they could. Barry put everything he had into the kiss, and Naldo gave everything he had in return. Both boys were still crying, but they had never felt happier.

Eventually Naldo pulled back to catch his breath. He looked into Barry’s eyes and saw that they were now dry. He saw how happy Barry was, and it made him feel incredible. It was wonderful to know that he could be the cause of that happiness. He never wanted this feeling to go away. So he leaned back in and kissed Barry again, this time quickly and sweetly. “Hey,” he whispered, inched from Barry’s lips. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Barry whispered back, catching Naldo’s lips in his own once more. His heart was so full, and he felt downright euphoric. He had forgotten everything he had been worrying about earlier. It didn’t matter what anyone thought or what they said. All that mattered was that Barry and Naldo were together now.

“Hey, we should tell Cyd and Shelby,” Naldo suggested a few minutes later when the boys had settled into the booth, both sitting on the same side so they could be as close as possible.

Barry agreed. Even if he was still a little nervous about how people at school would react, he at least knew that their friends would be thrilled for them. Cyd and Shelby should be arriving at the lab pretty soon anyway, and now the boys would have good news to share when they got there.

“Hey guys,” Cyd greeted when she and Shelby entered the RV about 20 minutes later. Barry was leaning against the counter, looking like he was trying to appear casual, and Naldo was sitting on the edge of the booth, his feet rapidly tapping the ground. “Everything okay?” she asked her friends. She knew about the kiss from a few days ago, but Naldo had told her the awkwardness had passed. So why were the boys acting so jittery?

“Yep, everything’s great,” Naldo beamed. “Better than great, actually. We have some news.” He stood up and joined Barry by the counter.

Shelby grabbed Cyd’s hand excitedly. Was this happening? Had Barry finally realized he had feeling for Naldo? After hearing about the kiss, Shelby had been disappointed that Barry had insisted the boys just be friends. But she knew that wouldn’t last. Maybe Barry wasn’t sure how he felt, but it was clear to Shelby and Cyd. The way he looked at Naldo gave it all away. The boy was in love, whether he knew it or not.

Cyd squeezed Shelby’s hand. Had Barry admitted his feelings to Naldo? How great! All that Cyd wanted was for her friends to be happy, so she had been very upset when Naldo had told her that Barry didn’t reciprocate his feelings. Cyd had been sure that Barry was just in denial, but she didn’t tell Naldo, because if she got his hopes up for nothing she would have felt terrible. But secretly she hoped Barry would eventually admit to himself and to the others that he loved Naldo just like Naldo loved him. Had that day already come? Cyd was so pleased.

And the girls were even more excited when their hunch was confirmed. Barry placed Naldo’s hand in his own and interlocked their fingers. “Renaldo and I are together now,” he announced, looking quickly to Naldo and then facing the girls.

“Ah, really?” Shelby exclaimed, at the same time Cyd burst out, “It’s about time!” The boys laughed and moved forward to hug their friends, who wrapped their arms around them in delight.

“We’re so happy for you!” Cyd said as they all pulled away from the hug. “How did it happen?”

“Well really, it was all Renaldo,” Barry replied. “If he hadn’t kissed me the other day, I’m afraid I never would have admitted how I felt. I was in such deep denial because I was so afraid of losing him.”

“But then when he kissed you, you still didn’t admit how you felt,” Shelby pointed out.

“I know, it was stupid. I just… I never let myself believe that Naldo could feel that way about me. So when it happened, I was so shocked.”

Naldo laughed. “I never let myself think that you would feel the same way about me,”he admitted.

“So I guess we’re both to blame for how long it took,” Barry offered.

“Yeah, for geniuses, you’re both pretty stupid,” Cyd declared.

“I wish I had realized how I felt sooner,” Barry said. “But you know I’ve never been great at reading feelings. Even my own.”

“It’s okay,” Naldo assured him. “It took me a long time to figure out my feelings, too. We’re just slow on the uptake. But all that matters is that we’re together now.” He brought Barry’s hand to his lips and placed on a kiss on the boy’s knuckles.

Barry lay his head on Naldo’s shoulder. He had never felt so content in his life. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was. He was in love with his best friend, and the feeling was mutual. They were together now, and they were so happy. Barry never could have imagined this life for himself when he was younger. But now he had it, and he was never going to let it go.


End file.
